Last week was the final pick up of the Fresh Fork 2012 Summer CSA. It was a great season with so many tasty choices. This week, I am still enjoying the bounty. Monday's dinner was all Fresh Fork and it was fabulous!
With veggies this fresh, I like to keep my preparations simple to enjoy the intense freshness of the crops. Potatoes (bottom) were boiled and tossed with a ton of fresh cilantro and roasted garlic.
Cauliflower (center) was roasted with olive oil, then tossed with the last of my roasted garlic and a squirt of lemon.
Sweet potatoes (left) were candied with butter and brown sugar.
And the turnips (top) were caramelized. I was looking for a recipe to mellow out the bite of these underutilized root veggies because most of the ones I received were huge. As they get bigger they aren't as tender so I needed to coax the sweetness out of them.
The recipe I used for inspiration had lots of positive reviews on Allrecipes so I knew these would at least be good. But they really exceeded my expectations! I can never follow a recipe exactly so here's my version.
Caramelized Turnips
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 3 c. peeled, cubed turnips
- 1/2 c. chicken broth
- 1/4 c. apple cider
- 2 T butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 T brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil turnips in broth and cider until just tender. Drain.
- While turnips are cooking, melt butter in large skillet. Add onions, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until soft.
- Add turnips and toss to coat with butter mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and mix well.
- Cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring gently, until sugar coating is sticky.
If you want to join the Fresh Fork Winter CSA, click here for more info. For approximately $45 you'll get a bag stuffed with goodies every other week. Meat, value-added products like salsa, jam, etc, frozen veggies and more will keep you well fed until the spring.